A study has shown that home nursing visits for post-delivery well-baby check-ups are not only as effective as office-based care, they actually have a few extra benefits as well, from cost-effectiveness to the comfort level of the mothers:
“Generally, moms and babies are discharged from the hospital less than 48 hours after delivery,” said Ian Paul, MD, professor of pediatrics and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine. “A follow-up appointment is scheduled, and they don’t always show up. This is unsettling because it is such an at-risk time of life for both baby and mom.”
Home nursing visits ensure the mother and baby receive care, and also have other modest benefits, according to a study. Nurses can make visits any day of the week, including the weekend, when many doctors’ offices are not open or have abbreviated hours. Home visits can be more comfortable for the mother. Also, parents do not need to worry about sick children in the waiting room.In a previous study, Paul and colleagues showed that home nursing visits are cost-effective when compared to office-based care. In this study, they said, they have shown that home-based visits are just as effective as office visits, and mothers who received home visits were more likely to continue to breast-feed their babies. Home-visit mothers also had greater confidence in their parenting skills than those who received an office visit.